Levels of bacterial contamination affecting podiatric equipment

This study aimed to ascertain the efficacy of standard equipment disinfection procedures by quantifying the level of bacterial contamination during a busy podiatric clinic. Sixteen cubicles were randomly paired and the footrest of the patient’s chair, the light handle and the trolley were sampled over 8 weeks at three times during the day; before the first patient (prior to disinfection), immediately after disinfection with a standard hard surface preparation and again at the end of the day. A template and the cotton swab technique were employed to obtain samples and control swabs. The swabs were plated, incubated aerobically and the number of colony forming units was counted. Samples from three cubicles were investigated further for the presence of pathogens. The contamination level decreased on all equipment following disinfection and the change was significant for the light handle and trolley (P<0.01). Contamination levels increased significantly on all equipment between the first disinfection and the end of the day (P<0.01). The light handle was the most contaminated and the footrest the least. Control swabs were negative for growth. Staphylococcus aureus was identified at different sampling times on all equipment and on the light handle after apparent disinfection. Coagulase negative staphylococci and Bacillus were also identified. While equipment disinfection initially had a significant impact on bacterial contamination, this was not maintained throughout the day. Disinfection procedures proved ineffective in eliminating the pathogen S.aureus, which raises concerns regarding the risk of cross-infection. Cleaning and disinfection procedures require review, audit and reinforcement. Particular attention should be given to disinfection of the light handle.